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Electronically Translated Text

'Morning .Star,' by H. Eider Haggard; Lassell & Co., Melbourne.— Is it fair to bring Mr. Haggard's past triumphs up against him as evidence for the prosecu

tion when judging his present perfor mances? BW or not, it is inevitable, Tung Solomon's Mines' and 'She,' al though over 20 years old, still have a power to tfirill, bnt apparentlv their author pos sesses ittno longer. What is it— this my sterious gift of arranging words so that the readers blood runs cola? And -why should a young miter hwe it, while the same man, with far more experience, has ceased to possess it? Mr. Haggard does his best, providing mfcierial equal to that of tie oldj time, and a really interesting story can be foDowed with attention; bat nobody is likely to mis a meal in the reading, or an hour's sleep in retrospective shuddering, leaving the past alone, and considering the new book simply on its merits, one finda the author Eettmj; an almost comic tone st the Btart, for 'ik Egjrpt,. thousands of years ago,' a girl 6aid of ner lord and prince, 'I wish a holy crocodile would eat him, black pig;' and a powerful astrologer 'forgot himself so far as to wink' at the gjrl. However, the mocd mnst have passed at once, for the rest of the book ia intensely serious. The date of the story is unspecified, but the Pyramids contained the bodies of 'these Pharaohs, who had been dead for thousamte of years, and whose deeds, were all forgotten.' The princess-heroine had some of the qualities of Elizabeth of England. 'I perceive.' said her father, 'that in yojr are the mak ings of a great' queen; for within the silken foabbard of a woman's folly I see the statesmen's sword of bronze. Only run not too fast, lest you should fall upon' that sword, and it should pierce yen.' H r adventures with various would-be husbands are many and surprising; but the author, aimimi at being impressive by caus;ne the

remains to many ostensibly— in reality to torment— a too-pressing suitor, while the princess herself takes a long journey! The illustrations, by A. C. MioKael, are good. The book is dedicated, in terms of warm appreciation, to Dr. Wallis *Budgc, keeper of Assyrian and Egyptian antiquities in the British Museum.